Trump tried to unload Truth Social onto Elon Musk last year: report

Former President Donald Trump has long insisted that he sees his Truth Social platform as a legitimate alternative to social media heavyweights such as Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter.

However, that didn't stop Trump last year from reportedly trying to unload the network onto Elon Musk.

According to the Washington Post's sources, Trump pitched Musk on buying Truth Social last year despite the fact that Musk had already shelled out $44 billion to buy Twitter, which he subsequently rebranded as "X."

"At the time of the call last summer, Trump Media, which owns Truth Social, faced a dim financial outlook," notes the Post. "In April, Trump had said in a financial disclosure filing for his presidential candidacy that his 90 percent stake in the company was worth between $5 million and $25 million and that his income from it had been less than $200."

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That outlook has since improved after the Securities and Exchange Commission gave the proposed merger a green light, which could help give Trump a much-needed cash injection to pay for his assorted legal expenses.

All the same, reports the Post, "Trump has continued to insist to advisers and people close to him that Musk should buy Truth Social."

Trump started Truth Social after he was banned from Twitter in January 2021 after he incited a deadly riot at the United States Capitol building that resulted in his second impeachment.

Although Trump was reinstated by Musk after his acquisition of the platform, the former president has mostly stuck to Truth Social.